Monday 5 July 2010

NIGHT




Three a.m.

For the moment I have given up on sleep.
I am at peace, the night welcomes me with open arms.
The whole world is mine.
Yesterday is long gone, tomorrow is no more than the thinnest shadow of light just over the horizon.
There’s nothing on my mind to disturb my equilibrium.

I put down my novel, pick up the poetry anthology on my night table; read a favourite poem.

I decide to get up, draw the curtains and open the window wide.
The night air is balmy, it caresses my face tenderly.
The waning moon pierces the velvet sky, creating a silvery sheen above the deeper blackness of trees and the edge of the hills.
Bright Venus is in attendance.

All is still, all is silent.

As my spirit settles into the night, my eyes distinguish minute differences in the texture of the darkness, here and there a man-made light glimmers and the gentlest breeze shifts the tops of trees.

My ears become attuned to far-off sounds.
An owl hoots; there is an answering shriek from across the valley.
In a distant farmyard a dog barks briefly, disturbed perhaps by the call of a vixen.

I hear a hum, a delicate, yet deep-throated hum; like a blanket of sound covering all other sounds.
It is the river, flowing low after weeks of blue skies and no rain to fill its bed with new vigour.

The river carries my spirit and I become one with the night.



26 comments:

  1. eine sehr schöne poetische Beschreibung und spirituelle Erfahrung in der Nacht! Bis bald! Renée

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  2. What a contrast in your state of mind in this beautifully written piece compared to the last time you posted about a sleepless night.

    It never fails to amaze me how we can have such a different experience and reaction to the very same circumstances. It is not the circumstances as much as our state of mind.
    Your writing immediately reveals that acceptance of what is, is key. Thank you for this elegant lesson in equanimity.

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  3. I like nights like these and you have described them so well.

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  4. That was a night-time meditation if ever I heard one. Lucky you, that traffic leaves you in peace - here, it makes a constant background noise, inescapable...

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  5. Lovely...
    ...perfect.
    Thanks.

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  6. The mysterious yet, somehow, familiar night. A time and place to discover/rediscover ourselves.

    Very nicely written. A joy to read.

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  7. What a beautiful piece. I'm often up at 3 AM though not last night. Last night I was blessed with a continuous night's sleep.

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  8. Between the pull of night and light. Beautiful poem and photo.

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  9. I sometimes wonder if we should start an online chat room for 3 a.m. sleepless gardeners. What is it with that time of the morning that gets us up and moving around?? This was lovely. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Beautifully described - there must be something afoot with so many of us experiencing similar sleepless nights. The mind refuses to be quiet...you have found a peaceful solution & we should make a copy of your words to keep by our bedside...so soothing.

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  11. If I wake up in the night, I switch on the World Service on the radio. So soothing. And if I stay awake, I learn loads!

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  12. Beautifully written and great description.

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  13. Friko - a beautiful piece of poetic prose. We finding hard to sleep during the hot weather. Often get up at 2 am and just put the kettle on and talk until we're tired again.

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  14. What a beautiful piece, a perfect description of a summer night in the country.

    I wish that I could be so serene when sleepless!

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  15. Beautiful writing Friko. I am sorry I have not been by for ages. I am going to catch up now, I can't wait to read your words.

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  16. Renee - danke dir fuer die lieben Worte.

    Bonnie - state of mind is very important. I was happy to meditate on the night and let it work on me, which made all the difference.

    Tabor - sometimes a night like this helps to put hectic days into perspective.

    jinksy - no noise here, except the noise I described; rural peace prevails; we are lucky.

    Kate - thank you.

    MartinH - exactly what I felt, discover/rediscover and accept.

    ellen abbott - I hope that will be my fate tonight. A second sleepless night might find me less calm.

    Kate - but can we agree on when the 3 a.m. should be? yours or mine?

    taylorsoutback - there are nights when I welcome 'owning' the night and all the world in it.

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  17. Fran - my bedside radio doesn't work, all I get is radio Shropshire. For t' proper' channels I'll have to go to where an aerial is.

    Vagabonde - thank you kindly.

    mollygolver - tea would only wake me more. I like the quiet and solitude of these nights.

    Christine - I don't always manage it either, but sometimes I deliberately let the night envelop me.

    Cait O'Connor - thank you, I shall come over too.

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  18. Paul - how could I miss you out, sorry. Thank you for your comment.

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  19. Beautiful, beautiful writing, dear Friko. You filled up my mind with compelling images and feelings of peace and calm, reflection and contentment.

    You are superb at this. Really superb.

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  20. Lovely writing -- and what a joy to have that beautiful quiet time all to yourself. A fine photo too!

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  21. I can smell the diamante dew drops moistening the night air. Lovely.

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  22. Very beautiful imagery, taking one to the same peace and calm you must have been experiencing. If only my sleepness nights could be so relaxing.

    Thank you also for your input on my blog about the gardening. I tried to post back a couple of times to you, however, something is not connecting correctly and both seem to have been lost. I really appreciate your input and words of guidance there.

    As you suggested, I have found myself on a search for books, gardening shows, etc., anything which will give me more knowledge about what I might be doing wrong or right. The small successes are starting to come more often now, and it is very inspiring to continue on this new journey for me.

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  23. That's a very serene evocation of a sleepless night and very well finished off. You should come and join the Poetry Bus, we're always wanting new poets.

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  24. Deborah - you said it twice, so I will believe you. thank you kindly.

    Vicki Lane - I would find it quite unbearable to have to share my restless nights. Beloved understands, he has a room to himself too.

    English - a lovely, balmy, English summer night, we don't get many of them.

    Reflections - Not all mu sleepless nights are as calm, some are very
    tense and restless.
    I'm glad the gardening tips are helpful. You'll soon get there. After all, gardening is not brain surgery, is it!

    Argent - Oh, you flatter me! I am not a poet, what you find easy happens to me not at all. I can do a meditation, perhaps, but certainly cannot do clever stuff like you can.

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  25. This is very strange - there's something going on with blogger - your post says 19 comments, but I only see three. On my post something similar has happened.
    So, back to your post - I thought I'd commented on it, but it's disappeared. This post is beautiful - what a sleepless night should always be....just a part of the 24 hours in a day, but perhaps the most exquisite part.

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  26. There is something strange going on with Blogger. This morning I tried to publish 3 comments I received and could not do it for a while. A blogging friend I just visited said that she had trouble on her blog. I saw on Blogger Reader that you had a new post called “A Day with Nature and Poetry” but I cannot find it on your blog. So – I cannot comment. I’ll just say that I am pleased that Holland will be in the world cup final since I have friends there and since they have not been in the final since 1978. Tomorrow is the match Germany against Spain. Whoever wins will play against Holland – now comes the problem – I have good friends in both countries (and my best childhood friend in Spain) so I am not sure who I should be for? It’s going to be an exciting end to the world cup.

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